Which Would Have Most Sustain?

[darkshadow54321]

In a random guitar, which of the following:

a) tune-o-matic with stoptail

b) tune-o-matic with string thru (like on schecters)

c) PRS like wraparound bridge

would give the best sustain?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which Would Have Most Sustain?

In a random guitar, which of the following:

a) tune-o-matic with stoptail

b) tune-o-matic with string thru (like on schecters)

c) PRS like wraparound bridge

would give the best sustain?

A Tele with a string thru bridge has the steepest string angle behind the string saddles...THAT STEEP STRING ANGLE seats the string very firmly against the bridge saddles and is a big aid in getting great sustain.

A TOM bridge and string through body would not have as steep a string angle behind the bridge saddles.

Neither would a Les Paul with a TOM and stop tailpiece.

The reason is: you can only lower the stop tailpiece to increase the string angle behind the string saddles so far and then the string contacts the back edge of the bridge itself...so you can't further increase the string angle behind the saddles themselves.

All that said, the guitar in my collection that sustains the best is my '54 Tele followed by my '00 Les Paul and '02 Hamer Monoco Super Pro, both with TOM bridges and stop tailpieces.

I also use lightweight ALUMINUM for my stop tailpieces, like Gibson used until 1962 when they switched to pot metal (zinc alloy). I don't know if it increases the sustain, but it seems to and aluminum does give a more resonant tone than the pot metal 99.99% of all stop tailpieces are made of...plus aluminum weighs about 1/3 of the weight of zinc alloy pot metal.

My '95 Hamer Studio had a wrap around bridge but was otherwise almost identical to my '92 Hamer Studio with a TOM and Stop Tailpiece. I thought the wrap around tailpiece was brighter and more steely sounding and the TOM/Stop Tailpiece gave a fuller deeper tone with better sustain.

Lew

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: Which Would Have Most Sustain?

hey lew, (this is kind of a stupid question) but what if you put the strings in backward in a stop tailpiece then wrapped them around it, with the strings coming out from under the tailpiece and over a TOM, giving you a steeper sting angle. would that increase sustain? just a random thought

 

[darkshadow54321]

Re: Which Would Have Most Sustain?

OK, so basically the steeper the string angle, the more sustain there should technically be...

Is there any consequence in terms of breaking strings? Like the steeper the string angle, the more likely it is to break a string? etc

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which Would Have Most Sustain?

hey lew, (this is kind of a stupid question) but what if you put the strings in backward in a stop tailpiece then wrapped them around it, with the strings coming out from under the tailpiece and over a TOM, giving you a steeper sting angle. would that increase sustain? just a random thought

No...the string angle can only be increased so far and then the string hits the back edge of a TOM bridge...at that point it's best to raise the stop tailpiece a little because you don't want the strings hitting the back edge of a TOM bridge. It pushes the bridge forward on a tilt and doesn't sound as good. You want just a little light showing between the back edge of a TOM bridge and the underside of the strings.

It's how steep the angle is behind the individual saddles that matters most...not how steep the angle is behind the BODY of the bridge, IMO. Lew

 

[Marinblues]

Re: Which Would Have Most Sustain?

In a random guitar, which of the following:

a) tune-o-matic with stoptail

b) tune-o-matic with string thru (like on schecters)

c) PRS like wraparound bridge

would give the best sustain?

I'd go for option a). Don't know why, just a gut feeling.